


Coille

by WanderingScout



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Centaurs, F/M, Living with the herd, M/M, Starts at the end of book five, slash at some point, will add more tags later as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22860691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingScout/pseuds/WanderingScout
Summary: When Harry and Hermione lead Professor Umbridge into the Forbidden Forrest, they did not realise the trouble they were getting themselves into with a herd of angry centaurs! Forced to live with centaurs for a year, what will become of the pair? Canon compliant up to the end of book five then everything changes. Will be slash eventually and rating may go up later.
Relationships: Firenze/Harry Potter
Comments: 51
Kudos: 139





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry potter, some of this chapter is similar to parts in book five, I am just using it as a starting point to the story and not trying to claim it as my own 😊
> 
> This story is set at the end of fifth year when Harry is desperately trying to get to the DOM to save Sirius. For the purposes of this story, Firenze never came to teach at Hogwarts and is very much still a member of his herd.
> 
> I know that this is a short chapter, but it is just setting the scene for the rest of the story.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy 😊

“What about these ones!?” A grey centaur snarled pointing at Harry and Hermione as a huge centaur appeared behind Harry wrapping his arms around Harry’s torso and holding him so tight he could barely breathe.

“You said you don’t hurt young” Hermione spluttered trying to back away. “Please, we only came here because we needed your help.”

Harry knew immediately that this was the wrong thing to say as all of the gathered centaurs started shouting and snarling, stomping their hooves in agitation.

Harry squirmed trying not to panic as the centaur holding him reared, pulling him off the ground for a moment.

Hermione looked terrified, her eyes darting around the gathered centaurs trying to find an escape.

“They came here unasked, now they must pay the consequences of their actions, they can join the woman!” A centaur Harry recognised as Bane shouted, to the roaring approval of the other centaurs.

“No!” another voice called out and Harry turned to see Firenze walking into the circle of centaurs that had gathered around Harry and Hermione. For a moment Harry felt hope… but then that moment ended.

“They have come into our lands uninvited, enabling us to get rid of that woman for them, like we are here for no other reason to do their bidding. They have the same arrogance as most of their kind. They shall be punished in the old ways.”

A roar of approval met his words and Harry’s heart sunk wondering what was going to happen to them.

Hermione looked faint sinking slowly to the forest floor as tears ran down her face.

“You will come and live with us amongst the herd young ones, you will serve as we all serve and learn our ways. Hopefully, this will help you gain the proper perspective needed to treat us with the appropriate amount of respect that we deserve.”

Harry looked green at the thought and started to struggle harder against the centaur holding him captive. “How… how long do we have to live with you?” He stuttered out.

Bane gave him a malicious grin, “a year and a day is what is required.”

Harry and Hermione both started shouting at his words.

“NO!” Harry cried, “Sirius needs my help, we have to go!”

“You are going nowhere,” Firenze said, staring at Harry intently. Harry took in the astonishingly blue eyes and the hair so pale blonde it would put Malfoy to shame swallowing thickly before turning his gaze away. “Your Sirius will be fine.”

Harry calmed a little at the words, what had Firenze meant? Had he seen something in the stars?

“Take them away” Firenze muttered, the other centaurs hastening to comply. 

Without a word of warning the centaur holding Harry swung him up into his arms holding Harry so tightly he couldn’t move a muscle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another centaur step forward, this one had deep red hair and a beautiful chestnut coat, grabbing Hermione and swinging her up into his arms, ignoring her further protests.

Harry knew that without their wands they didn’t stand a chance against this herd of centaurs. He tried to give Hermione a reassuring look but knew judging from the look of terror on Hermione’s face that it was mostly ineffective.

He had thought that Firenze was quite decent, having saved Harry’s life in first year but obviously Harry had grossly misjudged the tall centaur.

He silently fumed as Hermione and he were carried through the forbidden forest, there had to be a way out of this, he just had to bide his time until they found one.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I know this took me a long while to get out. Got too caught up in all my other stories lol. I have a main story I am working on at the moment, but I will be updating this one sporadically. Enjoy 😊
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter.

They walked for what felt like hours, though may have been much shorter, through the thick forest. Large trees and darkness looming over them. Harry felt the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body slowly start to fade, being replaced by a bone deep weariness. With nothing to do but think as he was carried through the forest, Harry had the time to reflect on his actions and decide that he had perhaps been too hasty in his decision to try to run off to the ministry after Sirius. He was still worried about his Godfather of course, but with time to think he now realised he shouldn’t have acted so rashly. He felt terribly guilty for getting Hermione in this mess to begin with. Sure, she had been the one to suggest they go into the forest with Umbridge but that wouldn’t have been necessary if he hadn’t been so hell bent on going after Sirius. He couldn’t see her from his current position, but he hoped she was coping ok.

Harry had at first found it quite uncomfortable being pressed so firmly up against a large muscular chest, but as the journey continued, he gradually found himself relaxing into the warmth. The centaur carrying him hadn’t uttered a single word, hadn’t done anything except hold him tightly but Harry found the action oddly comforting and soon found himself nodding off. Lulled to sleep by the rhythmic swaying as he was carried through the forest.

Harry wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep for when he awoke to the sound of voices talking softly around him. They had come to a stop, so he assumed they had reached their destination. He feigned sleep, keeping his breathing even and his eyes closed, and listened to the quiet words around him.

“Can someone please explain why you have returned with two sleeping younglings?” A soft voice asked, curiosity evident in the tone.

Harry thought it was Firenze who replied.

“The pair insulted the herd” Firenze began, hisses of anger followed his words. “So, we have claimed retribution in the old ways.” This time murmurs of surprise followed his words.

“It has been many years since such a claim was made” another voice whispered gravely, and Harry struggled to tell if it was the first speaker or someone new.

“This could be good for the herd” someone else spoke up.

“As long as they don’t try corrupting the foals with their human way of thinking” someone else argued. “There is a reason why we do things the way we do.” Noises of agreement followed this statement. Harry heard a few hooves stamp restlessly on the ground.

Harry decided that he had heard enough and decided it was time to ‘wake up.’

He yawned loudly and stretched his arms, legs and neck, all of which were feeling stiff after being in the same position for so long. It took him a moment to realise that the movement had caused his face to burrow into the well-muscled chest that he was currently leaning against. He flinched away and flushed red as he looked up at the amused centaur who was holding him.

“Umm… Hello,” Harry said awkwardly.

A loud throat clearing nearby forestalled any response from the centaur holding him, and Harry twisted his head to look around to see seven centaurs’, who were all staring at him.

He spotted Hermione still sleeping soundly in the arms of the centaur who held her. She had drool running down her chin but was otherwise fine.

A centaur with chocolate brown hair and a matching coat stepped forward.

“Welcome youngling, I am Magorian leader of this herd.”

Harry squirmed slightly in the arms holding him until the centaur took the hint and gently lowered him to the ground. Harry stumbled for a moment before righting himself and turning to face Magorian.

“Ah… Hello. I’m Harry. Any chance you could just let us go back home? None of this year and a day business?” he asked hopefully.

Magorian merely gave him a knowing smile.

“Sorry, but that is not how this works. You have insulted the herd and must compensate for your actions.”

“I didn’t mean to insult the herd” Harry said pleadingly, green eyes starting to swim with tears at the thought of not seeing Hogwarts or his other friends for a whole year.

“Living here for a year will help you to understand centaurs and how we live. I assure you after your stay here, you will not accidentally insult a centaur herd again.”

Harry sighed and wiped his face. He knew it had been a long shot, but he had had to try.

“You will find that life amongst us is not so bad Harry” Firenze said with a compassionate smile, but Harry just turned his head away.

Harry heard a grunt and then a shrill voice demanding, “put me down this instant!” Hermione was awake.

He turned in time to catch her as she threw herself at him, getting a face full of bushy brown hair at the same time.

“Oh Harry, I am so sorry!”

Harry gripped her back just as tightly. “No Hermione, this is my fault. If I had thought more rationally before running in wands blazing, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“You were just trying to save Sirius, Harry, I understand. Let’s just say we’re both to blame.”

Harry chuckled wetly, as more tears threatened to spill. “OK.”

“Come, I will show you to your hut.” Magorian said as he started to walk away, the other centaurs parting to let them through. As the centaurs moved Harry and Hermione got their first look at the centaur village.

Harry gasped in surprise. It. Was. Beautiful. And nothing like he had been expecting, though honestly if he had been asked, he wouldn’t have been able to say what he had been expecting.

The sky above the small village was covered in thousands of twinkling lights, at first glance Harry thought they were like the human fairy lights but upon closer inspection he realised they were a type of insect. They floated in the sky illuminating the village in a soft warm glow. The village itself consisted of a large grassy meadow. In the centre was a big fire pit which has almost burnt down to nothing, given the late hour. Scattered around the meadow were huts of varying sizes. What they all had in common however was that they only had three walls. One wall was open to the elements; Harry guessed it was to allow easy access for the large centaurs. Despite only having three walls the huts that Harry could make out looked warm and cosy. With soft green grass beneath them, Harry could also see a variety of woven blankets in the hut closest to him. He noticed that all the homes also had a small fireplace, he assumed for warmth in the colder months and perhaps some cooking. As they walked quietly across the field Harry saw that some of the huts were occupied, while others stood empty. It was to one of these empty huts that Magorian led them.

“This will be your hut for the foreseeable future” Magorian explained.

Beside him Hermione grimaced at the basic hut, but Harry quite liked the look of it.

“There are plenty of blankets hanging to the right for you to make yourselves comfortable” Magorian explained pointing to a rack covered in a variety of blankets on the side of their hut.

“I will return in the morning to give you a tour of the village and explain how things work around here. I suggest you get some rest now, no doubt it has been a long day.”

As the centaur leader started to walk away, he gave them one last piece of advice; “also, do not try to escape. There is special magic that surrounds this place, only a centaur can find their way.”

Harry nodded in understanding and heard Hermione groan quietly beside him.

Magorian walked away, back to the waiting group of centaurs, who immediately started talking quietly amongst themselves.

Harry and Hermione walked into their hut and looked around. There was only one large room. To one side was the small fireplace and what looked like a kitchen area that he had seen earlier. There was a small bench next to the fireplace with two cut outs that had wooden tubs sitting in them. He assumed this was to do with food preparation. The rest of the room was bare.

Wordlessly they moved to the blanket rack and pulled off several blankets each. The blankets were soft but sturdy and all in earthy colours of browns and greys and reds.

They moved to the far corner and began piling up their blankets into a type of nest like structure, before climbing in together and pulling some more blankets over the top of them. Luckily the night was quite warm, so they were comfortable enough.

“We will find a way out of here Harry.” Hermione said confidently beside him, whispering it into the night.

Harry made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat; he wasn’t quite so sure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Latest chapter is here, hope you enjoy!
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry awoke to the sun shining into their warm hut. He supposed sleeping in wasn’t much of a thing amongst a centaur herd. He looked over and saw Hermione still asleep beside him, he chuckled as he realised, she had made herself a cocoon out of blankets.

He sat up from their blanket nest and looked out of the opening in their hut to see that the meadow was already alive with activity even though Harry new it couldn’t be very late in the morning. He debated whether to wake Hermione or not but decided it wasn’t worth the risk to his life. Climbing gingerly out of their bedding he made his way outside.

Unsure of what to do Harry made his way awkwardly to the cooking fire in the centre of the village, trying to ignore the looks of surprise and suspicion that were being cast at him from the surrounding centaurs.

He spotted Magorian and Firenze and hurried over. Both seemed surprised to see him.

“Harry, we weren’t expecting to see you up so early. We thought after everything that happened yesterday, we would let you rest this morning.”

Harry felt surprise by the kindness.

“Oh, well thank you, but I’m an early riser anyway. Can never manage to sleep in” he explained ruefully.

He didn’t bother to mention it was due to years of having to get up early and cook breakfast for the Dursley’s.

“That will serve you well here” Magorian explained. “We rise early and get our work done in the mornings. The afternoons are for our own pursuits.”

Harry nodded in understanding; glad they wouldn’t be expected to work all day every day.

Firenze tried to smile at him, but again Harry childishly turned his face away. He felt hurt that Firenze had been the own to suggest their captivity here, he thought they were friends of a sort.

As he stood between the two centaurs, he noticed something he hadn’t really paid attention to the night before. The centaurs were tall! Really tall. He logically knew that must be the case but still he was surprise to realise that he only came up to Firenze’ chest.

“We have some things to discuss with you, but it would be best to wait until your mate awakens. I do not wish to repeat myself.” Magorian explained.

Harry gasped and found himself choking on some spit that decided to go down the wrong way. He started coughing, trying to clear his airways while the centaurs watched in confusion.

“What!?” Harry gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

Magorian frowned. “Your mate? The female who came with you last night.”

“Do you mean mate as in friend or mate as in partner?” Harry asked, wanting some clarity in case he was simply misreading the situation.

“Mate as in partner, of course” Magorian stated looking confused at Harry’s question. “Who you will spend your life with and breed with in the future, though I must say you are a little young for that at the moment, by human standards anyway.”

Harry felt like his face was on fire.

“Hermione is not my mate! She is one of my best friends but nothing more.” Harry said, amazed that he even had to have this conversation.

“Oh. I do apologise for the confusion. When you arrived last night you smelt very strongly of each other, she then proceeded to throw herself at you when she awoke, then last night you slept in the same bed, granted I know little of human mating habits but this led me to believe that you were mates.” Magorian explained.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, well when it’s put like that he understood where the confusion came from.

“Hermione is just a friend, nothing more.”

Magorian nodded in acceptance, while Firenze just stared at Harry intently, not having participated in the conversation at all.

Deciding that he had had enough of the awkward atmosphere he walked over to the two centaurs who were busy cutting up fruits, obviously for breakfast. Both were tall and muscular, like every centaur he had met. One had a sandy coloured coat and the other a mottled grey. Harry took a moment to wonder if hair colour impacted coat colour, it didn’t seem to.

“Would you like a hand?” he enquired politely.

Both centaurs eyed him warily for a moment, before the one on the left nodded, handing over a large chopping board and knife with a basket of apples.

“Cut these into quarters and place them on the various platters.”

Harry nodded, stepping closer to the table and finding that he was a bit short to use it comfortably. He looked around until he spotted a log, obviously placed to go into the fire at some point. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to do magic here so he dragged the log over and stood upon it so that he could cut more easily.

The two centaurs he was working with didn’t talk to him, but Harry found he didn’t mind.

Harry looked around as he worked and spotted another centaur walk up to the large pot on the fire and start stirring. It took him a moment to realise what was different about this centaur. It was a female! He wasn’t sure why he found this discovery so shocking. He supposed it was because he had never met a female centaur before. He looked around the village and was able to spot a few more, though they were fewer in number then their male counterparts. Actually, as he looked around, he noticed that there didn’t seem to be that many centaurs anyway, maybe around 13 with a few foals running around.

‘How big was a centaur herd usually?’ He wondered but decided that would be something he could enquire about later.

He felt eyes on his back and turned around to find Magorian and Firenze watching him, as well as the centaur who had carried him last night.

He ignored them, continuing to cut up the fruit and placing it on the platters until they were full.

Harry jumped as a loud horn blew through the village. Harry assumed it was the call for breakfast because everyone stopped what they were doing and started to make their way over. Harry got shoved aside by a particularly aggressive male who seemed very keen on getting some breakfast. He quickly stepped backwards so he wouldn’t be trampled. He thought it would be best to let the others get something to eat before attempting to do so himself, even though his stomach was twisting in hunger.

He felt a bowl being pushed into his hands and looked up to see Firenze smiling at him and handing him a bowl of warm porridge and fresh fruit.

He was saved from offering any kind of response by Hermione barging her way through the crowd to Harry’s side.

Hermione was always grumpy in the morning and needed a good 30 minutes to get her bearings before she could properly function.

He handed her the bowl of food that Firenze had just brought him, ignoring the hurt look that flashed across the centaur’s face, and guided Hermione over to a soft patch of grass a little away from the fire.

She didn’t comment as Harry wandered off to get another bowl of food while she started eating.

Most of the crowd had cleared away by now so he was able to get a bowl without too much trouble, though he was disappointed to realise that most of the fruit was gone as well. With a sigh he scooped up what he could and made his way back to Hermione, both eating in silence.

About halfway through the meal Hermione seemed to come back to herself. Harry could see the moment that her eyes became more focused and her brain kicked into gear.

“We need a plan to get out of here” Hermione whispered, surreptitiously looking around to see if anyone could hear them.

“I really don’t think it’s going to be that easy” Harry whispered back.

Before they could continue their conversation Magorian and Firenze walked over, both lowering themselves gracefully onto the grass before them.

“Now that you are both awake” Magorian began, eyeing Hermione for a moment. “We can begin.”

Both teens listened attentively, knowing that what came next would be important.

“As you are already aware, I am the leader of this herd, Firenze here is my second.”

Harry was surprised by that piece of information but just nodded his head.

“For the next year you are a part of this herd. You are one of us. We number 18 including two foals. While you are here you will follow directions that are given to you and show nothing but respect to the members of this herd. If you have a problem, you will come to either myself or Firenze to solve it. We do not abide conflict amongst ourselves, we must stand united, there is already too much in the world against us without turning on each other. We may not have magic like you do but we do have magic. It is more subtle, taking care of us and the herd. You will notice that, everything grows abundantly in our village, you will also find that it is impossible to leave or find your way into this meadow without a centaur present. This is magic similar to the wards you wizards use and keeps us safe from outside dangers. Not only that but due to the old magic that Firenze invoked when he claimed retribution you are bound to our village for the next year. You are unable to leave with or without a centaur present.”

Harry felt Hermione tense beside him.

“Unfortunately for you your wands will not work here, though I am unsure about wandless magic, it has been many a year since one of your kind lived among us. While you are here you are expected to contribute, just like everyone in the herd does. Sometimes you will be given tasks to do, other times look around and see what needs to be done. I have already sent a member to speak to your headmaster and let him know what has happened. He will contact your families so that they are aware that you are safe but that they will not hear from you for a year.”

Again, Hermione tensed at Magorian’s words. But Harry wasn’t concerned, he knew the Dursleys would find it hilarious that he had been taken hostage by a group of angry centaurs. They would probably hope that Harry would never come back home.

“We keep mostly to ourselves but do seek out other herds for trade. This usually happens about once a moons cycle, where some of our numbers will travel to another herd or another herd will visit us for trade purposes. We are particularly respected for our weaving.” He said pride coating his voice.

“While you are among us you will be given lessons in what you call astronomy, the stars have many stories to tell if one only knows how to listen.”

Hermione actually looked interested at this and Harry had to supress a grin at his friend’s priorities.

“There is a stream that runs behind the trees to the west that we clean our clothing and bedding in. There are also several large pools that we use for bathing.”

Here Magorian paused, obviously thinking about what else he should tell them. Firenze cleared his throat pointedly.

“As you are unfamiliar with centaurs, I think it is also important that you are made aware of the fact, that while we have females, our males can also be impregnated.”

Harry’s eyes popped open at the words, while Hermione snorted with derision next to him.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Males can’t get pregnant, that’s impossible!”

Firenze frowned at her words and Magorian’s eyes narrowed.

“While it is indeed rare, centaurs as a race have great difficulty breeding, hence why we are so few in number, it is indeed possible for a male to get pregnant” Magorian explained, his tone biting.

Harry elbowed Hermione harshly, she rolled her eyes but refrained from commenting further.

“I am putting you both on washing duty for the time being. That means every day you will help wash any clothing or blankets that need it. Granted we do not wear much clothing, but it is still an important task.”

Harry nodded seriously while Hermione just rolled her eyes again.

It seemed that the two centaurs had explained everything they had to at the moment and began to stand. Harry took a moment to admire the shifting of strong muscles, both man and horse as they stood.

“Go to your task, you will hear another horn when the midday meal is ready.”

Both teens stood and walked in the direction of the stream. As soon as they were out of ear shot Hermione started whispering like an angry wasp in his ear.

“Do they honestly expect us to spend our days cleaning up after them! And the only lessons they have are astronomy, I will go insane!” she growled angrily.

“Don’t think of it so much as cleaning up after them, but contributing, like you would at home. Surely you were made to do chores as a child?” Harry asked.

Hermione frowned at his words, “sure chores like cleaning my room, not looking after a pack of animals.”

Harry frowned at Hermione’s words. “I don’t think they would like it if they heard you talking like that Hermione, and honestly I don’t like to hear you talking like that either.”

Hermione fixed him with a beady stare, which Harry met stoically before she took a deep breath and relented.

“You’re right Harry, I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated and scared” she said wearily, running her fingers through her wild hair.

Harry reached out and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“I know Hermione but insulting them isn’t going to make anything better. If what they say is true, we are stuck here for a year, we may as well make the most of it.”

Hermione didn’t respond, but the stubborn set of her jaw made Harry think that she wasn’t just going to go along with what Magorian, and Firenze said.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly before deciding there was nothing else to say right now. There was no point trying to reason with Hermione when she got in a mood like this, he would be better trying again once she had calmed down.

They found the stream easily and followed it along until they came to three centaurs who were busy beating, washing and hanging out a variety of blankets, throws, and other smaller cloths Harry assumed were for washing.

The centaurs paused at their approach and Harry gave a small wave.

“Ah… hello. I’m Harry. We’ve been sent here to help.”

There was two males and one female. They shared a look before nodding.

“I am called Heron” the male on the right introduced himself.

“I am Kyros.”

“And I am Aneka.”

Seeing as how Hermione wasn’t going to introduce herself, Harry did it for her.

“It’s lovely to meet you. This is Hermione.” He said indicating to the witch beside him.

The three gave her a careful nod.

“You can begin by beating the blankets” Heron explained, lifting an eyebrow as though waiting for a complaint.

Harry just nodded and moved over to where Kyros was already beating the blankets. He handed Harry and Hermione thick sticks that looked similar to baseball bats.

“It is important to really hit them to get all the hair and dirt out before we try washing them, otherwise it ends up making the blankets even dirtier than they were.” He explained, his tone patient.

Harry watched the centaur, taking note of how he beat the blankets to ensure they were clean enough to wash. This was probably the oldest centaur he had met so far, he still didn’t look very old, but he had fine wrinkles on his face and streaks of grey through his hair. For the first time Harry wondered what the lifespan of a centaur actually was.

After the demonstration Kyros moved out of the way so that Harry and Hermione could begin their work. He watched them carefully to ensure they were doing it correctly, before moving away to sort through the pile of blankets and cloths still to be washed.

Harry found the work oddly soothing. Definitely a good way to burn up excess energy or to work out any frustrations one might be having. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be helping Hermione any, Harry having to listen to a constant stream of mumbled complaints the whole morning. He wasn’t sure if Heron, Kyros or Aneka could hear her, but they all acted as though they couldn’t and for that Harry was grateful, the last thing they needed was to get into even more trouble.

They continued to work steadily through the morning until they heard a loud horn blast, indicating that lunch was ready. All five of them moved toward the stream, washing dirt and grim off their hands and faces before returning to the meadow.

Harry could admit quite freely that he was exhausted. He collected his food and made his way to a soft patch of grass, collapsing down with a groan.

He heard a chuckle and looked behind him to see the centaur that had carry him in the night before standing behind him.

“Harry, it is good to see you again” the centaur rumbled, and Harry hesitated for a moment trying to recall his name.

“Basil” the centaur supplied with a chuckle, moving until he was seated comfortable beside Harry. Hermione came along a moment later, eyeing the centaur carefully before taking her seat on Harry’s other side.

“I know you have only been here for the morning, but I just wanted to check in and see how you are settling in?” the dark-haired centaur asked kindly, and Harry was touched by the gesture.

“Ah, well pretty good, I think. It’s all a bit new at the moment, but everyone had been kind so far.”

The centaur nodded sagely. “I am glad. I know, perhaps better than anyone, what you are going through. If you ever want to talk, I am here for you.”

Harry felt confused, how did this centaur could understand what they were going through? Just as he opened his mouth to reply though, Hermione talked over him.

“I’m not sure why we were given the worst job in the whole village. Those blankets were filthy, I’m never going to get the smell of horse off me.” The brunette complained loudly. Harry groaned and looked down at his meal, his cheeks heating at his friend’s outburst.

He concentrated on his meal and tried to tune out the rest of his friend’s ramblings, desperately hoping that no one would take offence. He knew it was going to take Hermione a while to settle in.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The latest chapter is here, I hope you enjoy 😊
> 
> I’ve had a few people comment that Hermione is out of character. I guess she is a bit out of character, but I really do think she would struggle with this change. Pushing her education back a year and living in a place where her intellect is of little value would be difficult for Hermione. And as much as I love her, I also remember how she treated Luna and her unusual views before they became friends, and it wasn’t super open minded. Anyway, Hermione will be back to her amazing self soon, she will just struggle for a little while first. 
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter.

That night Harry and Hermione returned to their hut exhausted. It had been a busy day and completely different to what they were used to.

They laid in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Do you think Sirius is OK?” Harry asked quietly.

He felt Hermione grip his hand firmly under their blankets.

“I’m not sure Harry. I do feel like that vision you saw could have been a trap though.”

Harry nodded his head, then realised that she couldn’t see him in the dimness, with only the moon and stars for light.

“I thought the same. There’s nothing we can do about it now; I just have to hope that he’s OK.”

“Maybe talk to Firenze about it tomorrow? He seemed to know something.”

Harry let out a sigh at Hermione’s suggestion.

“I’m still upset at him. I thought we were kinda friends, you know? But he was the one who suggested this.” Harry rolled on his side and looked at his best friend, “are you OK?”

Hermione rolled over as well so they were facing each other.

“Not really, no. I’m just so angry.”

Harry flinched at her words.

“Not at you” she clarified. “Just at the whole situation. I don’t want to miss a year of school; it will put me so far behind. I will miss my parents so much… and Ron. Gosh, I already miss Hogwarts and it’s only been one day.”

Harry let out a small chuckle, “I know, I miss it too.”

“And what about Voldemort” Hermione continued. “What’s going to happen with the war while we’re here? I feel like we are abandoning them when they need us.”

Harry ran his hands through his dark locks in agitation.

“I know Hermione, I feel the same way. But you heard what they said, there isn’t anything we can do about it. We are magically bound for the next year and I for one intend to make the best of the situation.” He hesitated for a moment, “maybe you should to.”

“I’ll try. I know I wasn’t very nice today.”

Harry made a non-committal sound in the back of this throat.

“Just think of it this way, we are one of the few people alive to ever see inside a centaur village, let alone live in it for a year. It’s a massive learning opportunity.”

Hermione brightened a little at that, “well that’s true. Imagine the information we will be able to provide about centaurs and how they live when we get out of here. They’re such a reclusive species hardly anything is known about them.”

“That’s the spirit” Harry said with a laugh. “So, you’ll try a little harder to be nice tomorrow? I don’t think they will put up with the attitude for long.”

Hermione had the good grace to look embarrassed.

“I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll try.”

“Good enough,” Harry said as he pulled the blankets up higher.

“Have you tried using your wand since you arrived?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded slowly, “after lunch when I went for a walk, nothing happened.”

“I tried when I first woke up, couldn’t even get my wand to spark. There’s a special kind of magic here, different to what we’re used to.”

“I know,” Harry agreed. “I can feel it all around me, it’s nearly like a warm caress, comforting.”

“It feels colder to me, like a crisp Autumn breeze” Hermione explained, and Harry furrowed his brow in thought, wondering why it felt so different to Hermione.

“You probably just need to get used to it.”

“Probably” Hermione said with another sigh. “Good night Harry” she murmured as she rolled back over for sleep.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

Harry slept peacefully that night, waking up early like usual but feeling much more rested.

Hermione groaned beside him and sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she gained her bearings. Harry watched his best friend in amusement, it always took her a little while to get going in the mornings.

“I really need to have a wash and scrub my teeth today” the brunette murmured “and a change of clothes would be nice.”

Harry bent his head and sniffed at his shirt, pulling back with a jerk at the strong smell that assaulted his nostrils.

“Definitely,” he agreed.

Harry washed his face and hands in a bucket of fresh water sitting outside their hut, looking around to thank someone for the kindness, but no one was nearby.

Shrugging, he walked with Hermione to the centre fire, finding the meadow a hive of activity like the morning before.

Hermione wore a scowl on her face as they walked, but Harry knew that was just her usual early morning expression. Though the centaurs didn’t know that, and Harry was concerned at how many he saw scowling back.

Hermione sat by the fire seemingly lost in thought, but Harry went over to the two centaurs preparing food again and asked if they needed help.

One glanced at him before returning to his work, the other however just handed Harry a knife and instructed him to do the same as the day before. They weren’t particularly friendly, but Harry had spent his life around people who didn’t really like him, so he just ignored them and got to work. It felt nice being useful.

When the gong sound for breakfast, Harry stepped back not wanting to get run over by a barrage of centaurs. He chuckled as he watched the centaurs laugh and nudge each other out of the way while trying to get their breakfast. The two foals, both males, wandered up and were instantly passed bowls of food. Both looked like teenagers and Harry realised he had no idea how centaurs looked when they were born or how long they were considered foals for. He added it to the list of things he wanted to learn about while he was here, a soft smile gracing his face as he watched the foals wander off to a shady spot to have their breakfast. It was nice to see the softer more light-hearted side of the centaurs.

By the time the crowds had cleared a bit Hermione was at his side and they got their breakfast together. Scooping large portions into their bowls.

They looked around, trying to find somewhere to sit before Heron waved them over.

“Harry, Hermione, how are you this morning?” Heron asked amicably as the two took a seat on the grass.

Seated Harry barely reached the centaurs chest, he knew it was going to take a while to get used to the height difference.

Hermione just shrugged.

“Very well, thank you. I slept great last night” Harry said with a grin. “Though I was wondering, what do you use to scrub your teeth around here? My mouth feels like something crawled inside it and died.”

Heron chuckled at that.

“We use the indica plant,” Heron looked around for a moment before spotting it on the edge of the meadow. “That one there” he pointed out. “Simply break a twig off and you have yourself a toothbrush.”

Harry nodded gratefully.

“Thank God” Hermione muttered beside him.

“Are you all ready to beat some blankets this morning?” Kyros asked, joining their conversation.

The conversation continued and Harry was surprised at how easy the centaurs were accepting them. He then thought of the cold stares he had gotten from the two centaurs who were making breakfast and amended that thought, to how easy _some_ of the centaurs were accepting them.

Before they could place their used breakfast bowls on the bench for cleaning, Firenze and Magorian approached with an unfamiliar centaur.

Harry stared for a moment; the approaching centaur was gorgeous. He froze, could he even think that about a centaur? He was tall and well-muscled like every centaur, but his coat was a silvery colour that nearly seemed to shimmer in the sun.

He heard a low chuckle and realised that he had been caught staring. He felt his face heat up and glanced up to find soft green eyes looking at him. Magorian chuckled as well but Firenze just stood there, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

Harry smiled and tried to will away his blush.

“Harry, Hermione, I trust you’re settling in well?” Magorian asked.

Both nodded before he continued.

“This is Jailk, he is the centaur we sent to inform your headmaster of what had occurred. We thought you may wish to hear how it went?”

Hermione perked up instantly.

“It did not go well” Jailk said gravely. “The headmaster was incensed; I have not had much to do with humans, but I have never seen one so angry. He kept ranting that Harry was needed to defeat the dark one.”

Harry grimaced, of course that was what was most important.

“Did he say anything about me?” Hermione asked eagerly.

“He did not.”

Hermione deflated rapidly at that.

“Of course, he is most concerned about Harry” she said lightly, though her face was troubled.

“Only cares about me in regard to Voldemort though. He doesn’t actually care about me, just that I do the right thing, whatever that is.”

The three centaurs shared a looked and then Firenze trotted forward and put a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

Harry thought about all the times had had been in danger at Hogwarts, about how he was sent back to Privet Drive every summer even after begging not to be returned.

“No, it is” he said in a small voice.

Hermione reached over and gripped his hand.

“Nevertheless” Jailk said. “He will not be able to reach you here, there is nothing he can do. For as long as you remain here you are safe.”

Harry drew comfort from the words and nodded his head.

“Now off to your jobs” Magorian said clapping his hands, his nose wrinkling subtly. “And might I suggest a bath this afternoon?”

Harry let out a snort of laughter, “oh, don’t worry I will be. What are we to do about clothes though?”

“Well, we have no human clothing here,” Magorian said thoughtfully. “Please feel under no obligation to wear clothes now that you live here.”

Harry’s eyes popped at the idea of walking around naked, beside him Hermione let out a little choking sound.

“If you do feel the need to preserve your modesty, we do have some pelts and blankets that you can wrap and tie around yourselves.”

Magorian pointed to one of the few female centaurs, who had a piece of cloth tied around her breasts.

“I can have some things sent to your hut later.”

“Thank you… that uh, that’d be great.” Harry stuttered, still surprised at the idea of having to walk around naked.

They left to catch up to Heron and start on their jobs for the day.

Their jobs passed much the same as the day before, Hermione grumbled nearly constantly next to him, but thankfully did it low enough that no one else was able to hear her.

It seemed there was just as many blankets and coverings as the day before and Harry assumed it must be the usual amount. It was hard work, but Harry found that he enjoyed it. Kyros was working with them and Harry found the older centaur quite charming.

He regaled Harry with tales from his youth and explained that centaurs usually lived for around 500 years.

Harry was flawed by the information, having no idea they lived so long! Even Hermione stopped her mumbled complaining to listen to the new information.

“Wow, I had no idea centaurs lived that long!” Harry said with awe.

Heron, Kyros and Aneka all gave a chuckle.

“So, at what age are centaurs considered adults?”

“It’s usually around five years old. Centaurs are born around the toddler stage of development. We are able to stand and hold our bodies up only a few hours after birth. We do drink milk from our bearers for the first few months of life, but then we are able to transition to more solid foods.”

Harry nodded, taking all the new information in, but Hermione made a small noise of disgust beside him.

Kyros frowned and eyed the young witch carefully.

“Is there a problem Hermione?”

Harry willed his friend to just keep her mouth shut, but Hermione had never been good at that.

“You said bearer, does that mean that the males are able to breastfeed not just the females?”

“Why, yes, of course. A male will grow lovely full breast while pregnant so that he can feed his young.”

Hermione’s face twisted and Kyros’ hooves stamped in agitation.

Before things could escalate Harry interrupted.

“Well, that makes sense” he said, with forced brightness. “How else would the foals get fed otherwise.”

“I guess,” Hermione mumbled, and Harry was a little disappointed when Kyros returned to his own work without another word. He had been enjoying their conversation.

**HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP**

After hours of work, they were finally done. Everything was hanging on branches, drying, ready to be collected later in the afternoon.

Harry waved goodbye to Heron, Kyros and Aneka and started walking back towards their hut.

“Are you coming for a wash?” Harry asked Hermione as they walked.

“Ah… maybe later. I think I may go for another walk around the village and explore some more.”

Harry got the distinct impression she just didn’t want to wash with him and for that he was eternally grateful.

Hermione gave him a small wave before walking off, while Harry went back to their hut to grab the clothes that had been left for him. He rummaged through the pile near the entry. There were no shirts, just the wraps to go around Hermione’s breasts and what looked like loin clothes. A rectangle shaped cloth that had elongate corners, he assumed were used to tie around his hips. He also noticed a small bar of a yellow-coloured soap. He blushed slightly at the idea of walking around in just the loin cloth, but there was little he could do. So, he picked up one that was a deep brown colour, and the soap and made his way in the direction of the bathing area Magorian had told him about.

The bathing area was larger than Harry was expecting, it was several areas that had been carved into the side of the river creating semi circles where the water didn’t flow as rapidly and was warmer. There was a gentle incline from the bank into the water, but then it looked as if the water got quite deep the further out you went.

Harry didn’t know why he was so surprised that the bathing areas weren’t empty. It was just after work time after all, surely this was a common time for centaurs to bathe. But still, he stood frozen for a moment when he realised there were five centaurs already spread out amongst the two bathing pools. He felt eyes on him as he approached the pool with only two centaurs, conversation halting as they watched his approach.

He scratched behind his head awkwardly. “Ah, is it ok if I join you?”

“Of course, human, I can smell you all the way from here.”

Harry grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that, it takes a surprising amount of effort to get the blankets and things clean.”

The other centaurs nodded in understanding. From this angle it was hard to tell that they were actually centaurs at all, only their human halves were out of the water, the rest was covered. It gave him a good idea of the depth of the pool.

He turned to a large rock nearby and began to strip, placing his dirty clothes in a pile. He turned to walk towards the water only to realise that every centaur was staring at him, completely unashamed of Harry’s nudity. He let out a rather embarrassing squeak and tried to cover himself as he rushed toward the water. Running straight in until the water was at his shoulders.

His faced burned red as he heard loud laughter surrounding him.

“No reason to feel embarrassed Harry, you have a beautiful body.”

This just made Harry blush harder, which he gathered was the idea, as the centaurs laughed again.

He ducked his head under the water letting the cool water settle his flaming cheeks. When he came up for air the centaurs were still watching him.

“What?” He asked, annoyed.

“You have many scars, human. You must be a strong warrior to have survived so much.” The centaur with soft red hair said.

Harry just blinked at the sort of compliment.

“Ah, no, not really. Mostly just lucky.”

The centaurs eyed him in disbelief but didn’t comment further.

“I am called Lars, this is Linus, Thales, Acker and Cedar.” The large centaur said, indicating to the other centaur around them. “We make up the hunting party at the moment.”

“Hunting party?” Harry asked curiously.

“Yes, we go out hunting for the meat for meals and gather things like berries that grow around the area.”

Harry nodded in understanding. He honestly hadn’t thought a lot about where the meat for dinner had come from last night, but it made sense that some of the centaurs went hunting.

“Well, thank you for the wonderful food you provide.” Harry said sincerely.

Harry missed the looks of surprise that flitted across the others faces as he ducked back under the water and scrubbed roughly at his hair. It was when he came up that he realised he had left his soap with his clothes in his mad dash to get into the water.

He let out a low groan.

“Any chance you could all look somewhere else while I grab my soap?”

“The body is a beautiful thing,” the centaur named Linus chuckled.

Harry just rolled his eyes, who knew centaurs were such free spirits.

He covered himself as best he could and made a dash for his soap. As he made his way back to the water, he was thankful that the centaurs weren’t watching him and had returned to their conversations.

As he sunk back down into the warm water and began to scrub himself clean, he felt himself start to relax for the first time in days. He spent the better part of the afternoon floating or paddling around and listening to the centaur’s conversations, he didn’t join in often but enjoyed listening. It was obvious they had all know each other for a long time. Two of the group were happily mated to the two centaurs who cooked breakfast. Harry learnt that their names were Ash and Kalai and were apparently very friendly once you got to know them. Somehow Harry doubted that just a little.

He laid in the water, watching the clouds float by thinking about how quiet it was here, when he was struck with a realisation. He tensed and sat up suddenly, accidentally splashing Cedar in his rush.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Lars asked with concern. The other centaurs were eyeing the forest around them and starting to move out of the water.

Harry took in their tensed body language.

“Sorry!” Harry gasped as he stumbled out of the water, water dripping over his naked body. “I just thought of something I need to talk to Hermione about.”

He hurried to where he left his things, grabbing the loincloth and tying it haphazardly around his waist.

“It was lovely to meet you all!” Harry called over his shoulder as he hurried back towards the meadow. The centaurs shared a bemused look as the green-eyed teen scurried away.

“Hermione! Hermione!” Harry called as he ran into the clearing. He missed the eyes that trailed him as he ran around searching for his friend. He eventually found her lying in the shade under a big oak tree, she had sat up startled at his rapid approach.

“Hermione,” he gasped, leaning over as he tried to catch his breath. “I can’t feel him anymore, I just realised - I can’t feel him anymore!”

“Feel who?”

“Voldemort! There’s no murmurs in my head, no visions, no pain, nothing. With so much happening I’ve only just realised. Do you think it means he’s dead?”

“Oh, Harry, I doubt it. Dumbledore was just saying that you are needed to defeat him, why would he say that if he was already dead.”

Harry deflated slightly at the sound logic.

“It could be that the magic that surrounds the glade, is blocking him out as well. Oh, I wish I had some books to research, I would be able to tell you what’s happening” Hermione growled in frustration.

Harry just grinned. “Hey, whatever it is I’m bloody grateful. Even if it is just the glade, a whole year without that psychopath in my head, sounds like bliss to me!”

Hermione smiled back.

“Here there is no Voldemort to worry about, here there is just Harry.”


End file.
